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Here is another round of interviews with the Black Panther cast with Daniel Kaluuya and Letitia Wright. I was excited about these two because not only are they stars of Black Panther, but both are stars in the hit Netflix show Black Mirror! Black Mirror, Black Panther…tomato, potato (ok that didnt even make sense). No seriously, me personally I am a huge fan of Black Mirror, the technological futuristic Twightlight Zone of our present so to get a chance to interview these two was exciting. Read more below about their roles in Black Panther and follow along the interview.

Daniel as W’Kabi

[Black Panther] it’s about joy, it’s about brother and sister, it’s about family, it’s about it’s communities, about nation, it’s about pride, it’s about like. All black experience within this film is  being touched upon within this film.- Daniel

Daniel on his physical training for the role

We did a lot of sword training.  We had so much sword training…from scratch. So, we had to kind of learn, I think what was amazing, everyone had to have their own fighting style.

Everyone had their own fighting style that reflects their character.  So, W’Kabi is more like a fierce, ruthless.  That’s why when he goes, ‘oh, I want to go on a mission,’ he’s like, ‘no, you can’t go on a mission.We kind of learnt how to base off certain stars that were in the African community in Africa.  And then kind of like trying to have a hybrid of all these stars and we just worked in all these fights.

Daniel being ghost on social media

I’m trying, I’m semi-ghost.  I really want to have one but I don’t want anyone to pretend to be me. I had a year of people pretending to be me. I know it’s harder to hide now. Black Panther, I said, ‘oh it’s gonna be hard, and harder to hide.

What people would be shocked to learn from in the film

I feel Killmonger’s one of the best villains I’ve seen. ’cause it’s how he’s decided to deal with grief. Kind of like, what is there to do with pain, and how you deal with pain real, really informs how you move forward. And it informs who you are and what you do and the energies and the people that are around you.  So, that kind of through feeling like, and, and, and as black people there’s, you, everyday is pain, you know.

A lot of our films and a lot of our content is dealing with trauma.  A lot of our media is trauma.  So…what’s amazing about this [Black Panther] it talks about these two roads, you don’t have to go down that road but also it’s not solely about it.

Letitia as Shuri

This film is pretty much years of prayer.This is something I would pray when I was a teenager just getting into acting. Whatever I do, I just want to be a vessel to be of inspiration. Doesn’t have to necessarily mean that that character is not flawed or perfect or has to be a perfect character but just to inspire.  – Letitia

Letitia on her character’s hair styling

Nikki Wright, she created pretty much all the styles.  So, they all settled on braids, which I never had prior to that. So, they settled on braids, Ryan and Camille that head of the hair department settled on braids.  And, and then Nikki would come in and be like, ‘what are you wearing?’ and she would see like, like roughs of pictures from, from Ruth and then she would just go like this. And then she would start designing on my head.  And then we would go and like show Ryan and then he would love it. 

People coming with ideas and Nikki as well just literally sleeping on it and coming in the morning like, ‘I got something.’  Even like the hero look for the gauntlets, she created that.

Letitia on Shuri being a new representation of a princess and inspiring little girls

 ‘Science is cool, Shuri is cool, she can you know, create stuff and not be looked down upon,’ and just play the truth of that, of what’s going on. It was kind of like, going on set to…tell the truth today, she’s a scientist, she’s really cool and if you grab something from this, grab it and go.

… I’m the vessel for it, I do it and then if some, if a kid can be like, ‘man I want to do science,’ I’m not trying to force it down your throat, it’s kind of like, I’m just gonna be the vessel and be real.

Letitia on her character portrayal of Shuri coming off comical

I didn’t even expect, I didn’t go in with the, with the thing that I’m gonna be funny. It was just like, it was down to the writing, the writing was so good and then also just going, going at home and really just studying the script.  And then I would find myself coming up with stuff like, ‘she would say that,’ like, ‘she would say that and that’s mighty rude.’  And she took herself so seriously I guess that’s why it’s kind of funny…

Letitia and her mutual support of Daniel being a British actor and linking up together for Black Panther

He’s been my, he’s been my brother for years. I’ve known this guy for a long time and he’s a champ.  I would go to his theater show, he would come up, he’d be like, ‘Tish, it’s mad,’ and he would smack it.  And he’d be like,  ‘where have you been?’, ‘I’ve been ghost.’  And he comes back like two to five months later than he’s in Get Out and then you’re like, ‘okay, cool.’  Alright, where you?  And he’s like, ‘oh, Tish it’s mad.’  And it’s like, ‘where you been?’, ‘Gonna be on Panther, I’ll see you there.’  

Group Photo with Daniel and Letitia TRAILER

Synopsis Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.

Black Panther opens in theaters on February 16th.

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BLACK PANTHER official website: https://marvel.com/movies/movie/224/black_panther
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BLACK PANTHER on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblackpanther
Marvel Studios on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvelstudios/

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend an all-inclusive press trip, sponsored by Disney. All opinions are my own.

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